Sexy V Lines Intense Abdominal Printable Workout

The trendy thing lately hasn’t been to be skinny, it’s to be fit and in shape. FINALLY, the majority of women are wanting to look healthy and have a killer body. Abdominals are one of the toughest areas to dial in and perfect so over the next couple weeks I’ll be focusing a lot on toning and sculpting our core muscles! =]

Unfortunately, our V-lines are located in our lower abdominal muscles and seem to be the toughest to target. But luckily abdominals are the only muscle group that you can train back to back without over training causing muscle deterioration.

Workout for: Men and Women

Body Parts: Abdominals, Lower Back

Equipment: No equipment or full gym

Included Exercises:

Side Planks – Hold for 1 minute – complete 2x each side

Front Planks  - Hold for 1 minute - complete 2x

Hanging Leg Raises  - complete 4 sets of 20 reps

Oblique Twist  - complete 4 sets of 20 reps

Basic Crunch – complete 4 sets of 30 reps

V-Ups  - Complete 4 sets of 20.

Complete this routine at least 4x per week. To see optimal results, it’s important to keep your body fat percentage down. 

PRINTABLE WORKOUT 

Stuffed Shells Recipe - A Real Meal, Real Quick

Stuffed Shells Recipe

I'm sure all of you can relate to the madness of weeknights. Ditch the take-out! This is a great go-to recipe for a quick and easy dinner without having to sacrifice taste and your health. The first thing you probly ask yourself when you hear healthy meal is "does it taste good?!". The answer is YES! My family loves it! Give it a whirl. =]

You'll Need:

1pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 container (16 oz.) Fat Free Cottage Cheese

1 red pepper, chopped

1 egg white

1 env. (0.7 oz.) GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese; separated

20 jumbo pasta shells (for stuffing), cooked, cooled

1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce

Directions:

HEAT oven to 400°F

COMBINE first 5 ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella; spoon into shells.

SPREAD half the sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Place shells in dish; top with remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover.

BAKE 40 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola        

I LOVE this recipe! Store bought Granola is SO expensive and not always the healthiest. =\ Now I know exactly what's in my granola! Add dried cranberries or raisins to zest it up a bit! 

You'll Need: 

4 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of vanilla protein powder

¾ cup of oat bran or wheat germ

1 cup of sliced almonds

1 tsp of salt

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1/8 cup of maple syrup

½ cup of honey

½ cup of coconut oil (or olive oil)

1 tbs of cinnamon

½ tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:

1.       Mix oats, protein powder, oat bran, almonds, salt and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.

2.      Over low heat in a saucepan, stir maple syrup, honey, coconut oil (olive oil works too), cinnamon and vanilla extract.

3.      Once it reaches a low boil, pour over the dry ingredients and stir until completely mixed.

4.      Spread the mixture over a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

5.      Allow to cool before breaking apart.

7 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

1.        Eat Breakfast – Especially first thing in the morning. If you struggle with eating right when you wake up drink a protein shake. When you wake up your body is either already in starvation mode or on the verge. Eating a balanced meal or taking a protein shake will keep your body from deteriorating your muscle.

2.        Eat the Bulk of your Meals Earlier in the Day – Avoid eating dinner after 7.30 pmor no later than 3-4 hours before you go to bed. Not only will you sleep better but you’ll burn more of the calories you ate while you’re still up and moving around.

3.        Don’t Starve Yourself – Eat consistently throughout the day. This doesn’t mean snack on potato chips and candy all day. Have your regular 3 meals per day but squeeze in 3 healthy snacks per day, 1 between each meal. HERE is a list of great metabolism boosting snacks and HERE is a list of metabolism boosting foods.

4.        Exercise – First thing in the morning is definitely the best for metabolism boosting. Before you do anything else (other than a glass of water and going potty =]) It will cause your brain to wake up along with your muscles stimulating muscle building. HERE are some morning routines that are great for metabolism boosting.

5.        Add Weight Training – 2-3 times per week add weight training to your schedule. The more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn. Don’t just focus on your legs or arms either, an overall balanced weight training will burn additional calories.

6.        WATER! – Studies have shown that people who drink at least a gallon of water per day have a higher metabolism. The metabolic process needs water for fuel to work effectively. Go get yourself a cute, refillable water bottle and see how many times you can fill it up each day.

7.        Take Vitamin B – B12 is essential for energy. I take a B Complex vitamin along with a B-12 vitamin daily to ensure I’m getting a sufficient amount. The B Complex will also make your hair and nails grow faster and healthier too!

Perfect Brows Tutorial

Look Polished Not Painted On

You'll need: 

Brow pencil - one shade lighter than your brows

Brow Powder - same shade as your brows

Angled Brush

Brow Comb

Clear Brow Gel

PREP:

Pluck and visible strays and brush brows downward.

1. Choose a brow pencil one shade lighter, lightly sketch from the top of the arch to the the tail - photo

2. Use a brow brush/comb to brush the hairs up (it will hide the line you just made) using the brow pencil you just used, sketch from the inner corner of your brow to the tail, connecting the to the top line. (Your top inner corners will be left bare for a more natural look)

3. Dip an angled brush into brow powder (color should match your brow hairs) in a sweeping motion across your entire brow. This step fills any gaps in a soft, natural looking way.

4. Grab your brow brush/comb again and brush in an up and out motion to remove any excess powder. Finish and set your brows with a clear brow gel. 

I love the Smashbox Brow Tech powder in Blonde. What's your favorite brow kit? 

Top 10 Muscle Building Foods

Unless you’re naturally blessed with an insane metabolism, french fries and milkshakes won’t cut it. Add these ingredients to your diet and you’ll be sure to form some muscle - we all know what more muscle mass means – more calorie roasting! 

Morning Workout Routines

Morning Routines and Neural Wake-Up Calls are key to seeing results in your body and your day. Studies have shown that exuding energy first thing in the morning will cause increased productivity, overall body relaxation and amplified endorphin production.

The Rules:

1.        Must be done immediately after you wake up.

I know mornings are rough but it totally gets your day off to a good start. A good morning= a good day. Be consistent and get in the habit, the pay off is worth it.

2.        Include a Blood-Pumping Exercise

Examples are Jump Squats, Lunges, Explosive Pushups. Including at least one of explosive movements will increase your blood flow, boost your metabolism for the day and stimulate muscle building.

3.        Include a Static Stretch (movements that stretch the muscles while the body is at rest or cooling down)

Examples are Bulgarian Split Squats, Spiderman Lunges, Hindu Pushups. This will make your body feel great the remainder of the day improving mobility and range of movement.

4.        Keep it Short and Simple

Don’t overdo it, you want to look forward to your morning routine or you won’t do it! Under 15 minutes and change things up from time to time.

5.        Choose exercises that match your body goals

Men – if you’re objective s are abs and shoulders, focus your routine around those areas.

Girlies – if you’re aiming for a killer butt, get at those squats and lunges!

Example of a Men’s Morning Routine - Run through it once on workout days and twice on non-workout days.

Lunges, Bulgarian Split Squats, OR Single-Leg Squats – 3 second hold 10-15 Reps Per Leg

Plank, RKC Plank, V-sit, OR Ab Raises – Hold for 15-30 seconds

Incline Push-Ups, Hand Walkouts, ORDecline Push-Ups – 10-15 Reps

Side Planks, OR Push-Up Position Planks – 15-30 Second Hold

Russian Twists, Pike-Ups, Leg raises, OR Bicycle Crunches – 15-30 Reps

Jump Squats, Jump Lunges, Frog Leaps, OR Tornado Jumping Jacks – 10-15 Reps

Example of Women’s Morning Routine – Run through it once on workout days and twice on non-workout days.

Squats – 3-second hold – 10-15 Reps

Single Leg Deadlifts – 20-30 Reps

Push-Ups, Bench Dips – 10-15 Reps

Planks, V-sit, Ab Raises – 15-30 Second Hold

Lunges, Bulgarian Split Squats, Single Leg Squats – 10-12 Reps Per Leg

Jump Squats, Jump Lunges, Tornado Jumping Jacks – 10-15 Reps